The Reading / Listening - Supermarket Workers - Level 1

Supermarket staff in the UK are wearing body cameras to protect themselves. Customers are punching or pulling knives on staff. Sales assistants and checkout staff are afraid. They are stressed and worried about their safety. The UK's largest supermarket said the number of attacks on its workers has gone up by 30 per cent in a year. More than 200 of its workers are attacked each month. Thousands more are shouted at and verbally abused every day.

Newspapers say attacks on shop staff show that Britain is "broken". There is a big rise in anti-social behaviour in Britain. A newspaper survey shows that 72 per cent of voters think the UK is broken. There has also been a big increase in shoplifting. A supermarket CEO wants new laws for people who attack staff. He said crime is bad for society, and "an insult to shoppers". He said attacks on staff were "unacceptable" and "heart-breaking".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Supermarket Workers - Level 0 Supermarket Workers - Level 2   or  Supermarket Workers - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tesco-staff-body-cameras-violence-b2403998.html
  • https://www.nationalworld.com/news/tesco-workers-to-be-offered-body-cameras-after-huge-increase-in-violent-attacks-on-staff-4279396
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12474103/Tesco-workers-offered-body-cameras-following-shocking-increase-number-violent-attacks-employees-200-staff-fall-victim-physical-assaults-month.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. wearing
  2. pulling knives
  3. Sales assistants
  4. worried about their
  5. the number of attacks
  6. 200 of its workers are attacked
  7. Thousands more are shouted
  8. verbally
  1. abused every day
  2. safety
  3. each month
  4. on staff
  5. at
  6. body cameras
  7. on its workers
  8. and checkout staff

Paragraph 2

  1. attacks on shop
  2. Britain
  3. There is a big rise in anti-
  4. A newspaper
  5. a big increase
  6. A supermarket CEO
  7. He said crime is bad
  8. unacceptable and heart-
  1. social behaviour
  2. wants new laws
  3. breaking
  4. for society
  5. staff
  6. in shoplifting
  7. is "broken"
  8. survey

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Supermarket staff in the UK (1) ___________________ cameras to protect themselves. Customers are (2) ___________________ knives on staff. Sales assistants (3) ___________________ are afraid. They are stressed and worried about their safety. The UK's largest supermarket said the (4) ___________________ on its workers has gone up by 30 per cent in a year. More than 200 (5) ___________________ are attacked each month. Thousands more are shouted at and verbally (6) ___________________.

Newspapers say attacks on (7) ___________________ that Britain is "broken". There is (8) ___________________ in anti-social behaviour in Britain. A newspaper survey shows that 72 per cent (9) ___________________ the UK is broken. There has also been a big (10) ___________________. A supermarket CEO wants new laws for people who attack staff. He said (11) ___________________ for society, and "an (12) ___________________". He said attacks on staff were "unacceptable" and "heart-breaking".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

SupermarketstaffintheUKarewearingbodycamerastoprotectthemse
lves.Customersarepunchingorpullingknivesonstaff.Salesassistants
andcheckoutstaffareafraid.Theyarestressedandworriedabouttheirs
afety.TheUK'slargestsupermarketsaidthenumberofattacksonitswor
kershasgoneupby30percentinayear.Morethan200ofitsworkersareat
tackedeachmonth.Thousandsmoreareshoutedatandverballyabused
everyday.NewspaperssayattacksonshopstaffshowthatBritainis"bro
ken".Thereisabigriseinanti-socialbehaviourinBritain.Anewspapersu
rveyshowsthat72percentofvotersthinktheUKisbroken.Therehasalso
beenabigincreaseinshoplifting.AsupermarketCEOwantsnewlawsfor
peoplewhoattackstaff.Hesaidcrimeisbadforsociety,and"aninsulttos
hoppers".Hesaidattacksonstaffwere"unacceptable"and"heart-brea
king".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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